Device for removing ties from railroad tracks



Dec. 18,1923. mvmw 0. J. MENDENHALL v I DEVICE FOR REMOVING TIES FROM RAILROAD TRACKS Filed Oct. 5. 1.921

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Patented Dec. l8, 1923.

warren eras OSCAR J. MENDENHALL, OF GIBBON, NEBRASKA.

DEVICE FOR REMOVING- TIES FROM RAILROAD TRACKS.

Application filed. October 3, 1921. Serial No. 505,163.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Oscar: J. MENDEN- HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gibbon, in the county of Bufialo and State of Nebraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Removing Ties from Railroad Tracks, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a device for removing ties from railroad tracks.

The object of thepresent invention is to provide a simple, practical and efficient device designed for removing ties from rail road tracks and capable of being readily arranged in position for engaging the rails and a tie beneath the same, and easily and entirely removing the tie from its position beneath the rails without digging the tie from the roadbed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing in which like character-s of reference designate the corresponding parts in the several views Figure 1 is a plan view of a device constructed in accordance with this invention for removing ties from railroad tracks.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of thedevice.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the device for removing ties from railroad tracks comprises in its construction a ratchet bar 1 having a fiat lower face to enable it to be arranged upon the upper face of a tie 2, longitudinally thereof and provided at its upper face with shoulders or teeth 3 formed by recesses 4 and adapted to be engaged by an actuating dog 5. The recesses 4 form incline faces which are presented to the rails in passing beneath the same and the teeth will not interfere with the longitudinal movement of the ratchet bar in the operation of removing the cross-tie and in practice the spikes will be removed from the cross-tie and the rails lifted sufiiciently to enable; the ratchet bar to be introduced between the rails and the cross-tie. The ratchet bar is provided at its rear end with a longitudinal stud 6 threaded at its outer portion to receive a nut 7 for retaining a tie engaging plate 8 on the stud. The tie engaging plate, which is loosely pivoted to the end of the ratchet bar by the stud, depends below the ratchet bar and engages the end of the tie as clearly illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing.

The dog 5 which has a tapered engaging outer portion 9 is pivoted at its inner end by suitable pivot 10 to an operating lever 11 fulcrumed intermediate of its ends in a frame on a transverse pin or pivot 12. The lever, which extends through the said frame, 1s provided in its lower end with a slot or bifurcation 13 to receive the pivoted end of the dog and the upper portion of the operating lever serves as a handle for operating the device.

The frame in which the operating lever is mounted is composed of spaced parallel side bars 14 connected at their ends by cross p eces 15 and provided at their lower edges wlth terminal recesses 16 forming shoulders for engaging the rails 17. The cross pieces 15 which connect the side bars of the frame are located at the upper faces of the said side bars but they may be arranged in any other desired manner, and the frame which is oblong extends across the rails 17and the shoulders formed by the recesses 16 fit between the rails and engage the same at the inner sides thereof. By this arrangement the oblong frame is firmly! anchored upon the track and the operator, who preferably stands upon the'frame, is enabled to readily apply the necessary power to the long upper operating arm of the lever for removing the cross-tie. As the ratchet bar is separate from the frame and as the lever is located at one side of the center of the device so that the dog, in the operation of the device, will extend to a position beneath the adjacent rail, it will be clear that the tie may be entirely removed from the roadbed by the device through the successive oscillations of the operating lever. The teeth or shoulders of the ratchet bar are successively engaged by the dog and the tie is removed from the roadbed by a step by step movement until it is forced entirely from its position be- ,with the frame by the rails and adapted to be supported upon a tie and provided with means for engaging one end thereof, said ratchet bar belng provided with teeth, a lever fulcrumed in the frame and a dog carried by the lever and arranged to engage.

the teeth of the ratchet bar.

2. A device for removing ties from railroad tracks comprising a substantial oblong frame provided with side bars adapted to be arranged upon the rails of a track and provided with shoulders or engaging portions extending below the treads of the rails and engaging the same at the inner sides thereof,

a lever fulcrumed between the side barsof the frame, a dog pivoted to and carried by the lever, and a ratchet bar extending beneath the rails and provided with means for engaging a tie and having teeth arranged to be engaged by the said dog.

3. A device for removing ties from railroad tracks, comprising a frame extending across the track and having rail engaging means, a lever fulcrumed in the frame, a ratchet bar located beneath the rails and unattached to the frame and spaced out of alignment with the latter by the rails and provided at one end with a stud, a plate pivoted to the ratchet bar by the said stud OSCAR J. MENDENHALL. 

